Quote:
Originally Posted by relentlessflame
When you hear the word "critic", what comes to mind? As you participate on this forum discussing the shows you watch, do you consider yourself a "critic"?
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Everyone is entitled to his opinion, which can be surprisingly insightful at times, but I think it's a tad conceited to think that simply having an opinion automatically makes you a critic. Meaning to say, I tend to regard a "critic" as someone who is trained, or who possesses sufficient insight and experience about the medium, to give professional reviews of any given form of entertainment.
That's not to say that their opinions are necessarily better than the rest, but rather that they draw upon a greater wealth of knowledge (one would hope so) when passing judgments. In other words, while any layperson is entitled to his opinion about the outcome of a court case, I'd sooner trust a judge's verdict than the diatribe from the man on the street (assuming that it was a fair trial).
So, it follows:
1) Do I consider myself an "anime critic"?
No. It's a hobby, not a job (thankfully!).
2) When considering which shows to watch, what factors into your decision? Do you tend to watch shows you think you'll like, or will you watch anything that seems popular or technically interesting?
It's a bit of everything. Obviously, a show needs to be technically interesting in some respect for it to be popular in the first place, be it in terms of character design, animation quality, voice acting, music direction or storytelling. And I do tend to prefer anime with high levels of production quality.
That said, I don't have the time to watch every single show, so I usually choose only those shows that get the attention of certain members in this forum — through experience, I find that their tastes in anime are a close match with mine. So, in this sense, it's fair to say that I tend to watch only shows that I think I'd like, although I do try to break out of the pattern every now and then, to watch anime from genres that I do not usually visit.
3) When considering which shows to discuss on the forum, what factors into your decision? Do you tend to discuss shows you like, or do you tend to discuss any show where you feel you have an interesting/differing argument/perspective?
I contribute only when I feel I have something worthwhile to add to the discussion, especially when I notice that everyone is arguing over each other's heads. As a trained debator, nothing irritates me more than to see no progress in an argument. Many people have a tendency to belabour the same point over and over again, instead of moving on once the point has been made.
And in those few occasions where I had been more talkative than I should have been, I'm ruefully reminded of Abraham Lincoln's advice: It's better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and erase all doubt.
4) How do you decide when to drop shows? What factors into the decision? Does forum popularity/participation factor into your decision-making?
As far as I can tell, it's very seldom a conscious decision. For me, the spark of interest can come and go very suddenly. Basically, when keeping up with a show starts to feel like a chore, I'd eventually drop the show, even if I had been raving fan at the beginning.
Forum popularity and participation are certainly not factors in the decision. Rather, it's usually a case of whether an anime continues to engage my heart and mind. It's also a case of whether anime continues to be relevant to whatever "meta-interests" I'm pursuing at the moment.
For example, my most recent interest in anime peaked around 2006 and 2007, at a time when I was exploring different philosophical approaches towards ethics and aesthetics. Through anime, I discovered a wellspring of particularly East Asian ideas that are not usually explored in Western texts and that, in turn, triggered a renewed love affair with the medium.
Since then, unfortunately, my interest in the medium has been waning. It's not the anime, but me — sad to say, but I believe I've started to move on to other areas of interest.
5) Which of these two problems seems more troublesome to you: that people feel unable to present contrary/opposing opinions and arguments, or that people feel unwelcome/uncomfortable posting in threads due to fear of having their personal preferences unfairly questioned?
Both. If you have something to say, however unpopular it may be, then go ahead and say it — but you better be prepared for the consequences.
I suppose the real question here is whether you are being a troll for doing so. While that depends, to a certain extent, on the eye of the beholder, I think it's fairly easy to tell when you're a troll or not. Simply ask yourself: Are you adding constructively to a discussion?
And by constructive opinion, I'm referring to whether you can bring up new evidence to support your points of view. This is where the difference between a professional critic and an amateur becomes very noticeable — the former knows the difference (most of the time) between fact and opinion.